WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 90

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Their next move, or to put it more simply, the previous lecture group’s next move, was very clean. It was also a method I had often seen before, back when organizations fought for influence inside the tower. Dark, convenient little schemes, in other words.

First, they spread rumors about the massacre everywhere. They claimed the alliance of individual mages allied with them had been taken down by someone else. Their target was the so-called “buyer group” Luciella belonged to.

The rumor quickly spread across the entire second floor. No matter how tightly the doors were sealed, they could not block those whispers. A faint sense of crisis began to hang over the students.

While spreading those rumors, the previous lecture group began systematically hunting mages who had hidden alone instead of grouping up. The hunt went smoothly. To them, the tower was a very familiar place.

They also spread news of that hunt just as quickly. Those whispers rode on magical power and circled through the entire second floor. The reason they were targeting the buyer group was very clear. It was because that group had created the largest organization in this lecture.

Their plan was plain to see. They meant to turn the buyer group into a public enemy and cut down their strength as much as possible. Of course, we only knew that because we were watching the screen.

The students probably could not grasp it properly. Some would doubt the rumor, while others would believe it. This was also a method Jun often used. It seemed they had learned from him very well.

But they had forgotten something very important.

Luciella and her group did not waver even after hearing those rumors. They simply began quietly tracing the rumors back to their source. Many spells passed back and forth through the corridors.

I looked at the mirror bug. Inside it, I could see Luciella sitting quietly, lost in thought. At that calm, unshaken appearance, I found myself nodding. Should I give her extra points for mental strength?

She opened her eyes when the source of the rumors became clear. After hearing it, she gave a violent smile.

“It seems they look down on us. In that case, we should crush them thoroughly.”

Once their enemy was clear, they began moving quickly. They did not deny the rumors. Instead, as if confirming them, they moved with extreme violence. They smashed every room along their path and advanced while massacring the students.

They wanted only one thing. To slaughter those who opposed them.

At that, the previous lecture group panicked. It was probably a reaction they had not expected. From their perspective, they must have only planned to interfere a little. Like Jun had done, they would have tried to spread rumors and plant hostility against them.

But overwhelming power was sometimes the easiest way to break through every petty trick. Just like the buyer group advancing right now. They had forgotten that.

Jun always dug several paths in preparation for situations like that. Compared to him, they did not have that level of ability. Did they become such a disorganized mob the moment their center disappeared? Feeling a little disappointed, I lowered their scores bit by bit.

The buyer group persistently targeted only those who had spread the rumors, meaning the previous lecture group, and crushed them thoroughly. They fled in several directions, but they could not get very far in the limited area of the second floor.

In the end, they all fell. Just like Hao, who was the last to collapse. Hao sagged limply and disappeared into the air. With Hao as the last one, the previous lecture group had all been eliminated.

The buyer group was not satisfied with that. They went even further and began crushing others too. Their movements made it look as if they had roughly finished grasping the situation. After all, no one had stepped in to block their path while they were running wild.

Like that, they reduced the number of mages. It was not a fight. It was a massacre.

-I like this. The sight of people being swept away like fallen leaves, I mean. Oh, look at that. Over there. The person who just got hit by magic and collapsed. Seeing that reminds me of fifteen hundred years ago, when I collapsed with an upset stomach after eating a magical beast. Back then, my life knew nothing but eating...

Tooth Necklace was pouring out a flood of words beside me. It had returned to the lecture hall from the moment the fight began. After all, its promise had been that it would not interfere in any way.

It kept lightly clicking its teeth together while watching the screen. It seemed to like this situation.

Quite a bit of time passed. During that time, the situation grew even more chaotic. Seeing their overwhelming display, the other students who had been watching also began to move. The swordsmen, the surviving mages, and several small groups too.

They tangled together in a complicated mess and spewed magical power at one another. Through the puppets drifting among them, I continued recording the information they gave off onto paper. Tooth Necklace only kept chattering wildly while watching the fight.

Amid that fighting, the information about them grew a little clearer. Since I had seen and accumulated quite a lot so far, setting standards for judgment was fairly easy. Even if I could not judge every detail, I could work out a rough average.

The puppets of those who were eliminated also went to the infirmary and cared for their masters. Under the shock of death, the students had lost consciousness and collapsed. The puppets moved them onto the many beds prepared in the infirmary and piled them there.

As time passed, the boundaries between groups blurred. Now a sort of melee had spread across the battlefield. Rather than strategy, the outcome was being decided by sheer strength.

And amid that fighting, there were those who shone clearly.

With overwhelming force and cool-headed judgment, they dominated the battlefield. The sight of them turning the situation to their advantage through individual strength alone was so splendid that anyone would have to acknowledge it. I gave those people plenty of bonus points.

They showed off their strength like that and dealt with the other mages. All of them poured out magical power without holding back. The power of a treasure was that valuable even to them.

At the center of those people was Cassian. Another mage was cut down by her sword and collapsed. She gave a satisfied smile at the sensation and flicked her sword. Blood scattered across the floor.

This melee breaking out was partly her fault too. She charged without hesitation at those who had gathered together. And they collapsed before her sword just like that. Their magic could not even graze her body.

She steadily cleaned people up one by one, as if evaluating each student. In the process, her body gradually began to carry different movements.

Like that, she tested the things she had learned from Mira in the treasure vault, one by one. I gave her body the highest score. There was probably no one among them who surpassed her.

Luciella, who had led the buyer group, soon became Cassian’s prey as well. It made sense. Her performance stood out quite a bit even from afar.

Previously, I had heard from Hwaryeong that she also belonged to some family. The power she was giving off was enough to make that understandable. And to Cassian, someone like her must have looked like an attractive opponent.

In this fight, she poured out tremendous flames. Those scorching flames did not stop at swallowing dozens of mages. They wriggled outward in every direction. And they reached Cassian too.

From then on, Cassian chased only her. Surprisingly, though, Cassian could not cut Luciella down. Luciella did not face Cassian head-on. She simply avoided her with subtle movements and dragged out time.

Instead, she poured flames at the others. She seemed to be cleaning up everyone else first instead of bothering to deal with a difficult opponent. She appeared to understand this fight as a kind of points game. The others were the same.

Like that, the students poured killing intent at one another, and as a result, some collapsed and disappeared. As I watched their fight, the remaining time vanished in an instant.

The bell rang, and the fight ended.

Only seven people were standing at the end of the battle.

Cassian and Luciella were among them. Cassian smacked her lips while looking at Luciella. She seemed deeply disappointed that she had failed to cut her down in the end. Luciella looked sick of Cassian.

The shadow puppets that had hidden to one side to avoid the fight approached and quietly guided them to the infirmary. Among the students piled up there, they too slowly recovered their bodies.

It took roughly an hour for everyone to come to their senses. The students returned to the lecture hall again.

A faint killing intent drifted among them. It could not be helped. Until just now, they had fought as if they would kill each other. No, they had actually fought hard enough to kill each other. Even so, those who had survived to the end wore fairly satisfied expressions.

Among those students, a clicking sound rang out. People’s gazes began gathering toward the source of that sound.

There, Tooth Necklace was floating in the air and clacking its teeth wildly. At the same time, the mirrors placed before the students began pouring out words.

-Ah, the sight of people being swept away like fallen leaves. It was so enjoyable. Splendid! Especially the dignified appearance of those who remained at the end. I was truly moved! Let us give them applause as congratulations. Everyone, applause!

Along with those words, Tooth Necklace clicked its teeth together very cheerfully. As if it were clapping. The students followed with slightly awkward movements.

-Hmm, the fight was good. I liked all of you too. I was moved by how everyone did their best! So I increased the number of people I intend to choose. Originally, I planned to take only twenty, but now it will be thirty-two! You all pleased me so much.

Tooth Necklace crossed between the students and floated up in front of the platform. Then it clicked its teeth together and took on a shape that looked like a smile aimed at the students. At those words, signs of joy appeared on the faces of those who had survived for a long time.

-Then shall I choose right away? First, this person!

Tooth Necklace dropped onto the head of the person sitting in the front row. The one who had been chosen stared blankly at Tooth Necklace resting on their head. A mark settled near that student’s head.

After touching it for a moment, the student shouted in joy. Tooth Necklace heard that and shook wildly.

-Good. Seeing you this happy makes me happy too. Then, the next person!

Tooth Necklace jumped up and headed to another person’s head. Like that, it began granting marks one person at a time. Joy could be felt from those who were chosen, and deep despair from those it passed over.

As if playing a prank, Tooth Necklace went back and forth above the students’ heads. It seemed to be enjoying their reactions. In that way, roughly twenty people were chosen.

The students began murmuring loudly. Cheers from the chosen could be heard here and there, but they too soon noticed the mood and closed their mouths. A strange atmosphere had settled over the lecture hall.

At the center of it were people whose faces had gone stiff. They were releasing magical power thick with displeasure from their entire bodies. Luciella was especially like that. She was openly glaring at Tooth Necklace with her face twisted.

Tooth Necklace had not chosen her. It had only circled around her as if teasing her, then left. The others were the same. None of those who had survived until the end received Tooth Necklace’s choice.

Tooth Necklace cheerfully chose people. The last place it landed was on Hao’s head. Hao blinked. Hao seemed not to have expected to be chosen. Of course not. Hao had fallen almost at the beginning.

Yes, the ones Tooth Necklace had chosen were exactly that kind of person. Those vague students who had fallen like straw at the start of the fight. After engraving a mark even on Hao’s head, Tooth Necklace returned to the platform.

It turned toward the students and took on the shape of a light smile.

-Oh, did you perhaps think this was a ranking game? Dear me, it was not!

It clicked its teeth wildly, as if delighted. It approached Luciella and circled once in front of her face.

-Aha, that expression. How satisfying. But I told you from the beginning. I asked you to fight, then collapse miserably at the end! I like useless people like this the most! Look at this miserable sight, crawling along the floor!

It showed them the mirror bug. Inside it, the scene of Hao collapsing was playing. Along with their group, Hao was burning in Luciella’s flames. Hao rolled across the floor and disappeared with a terrible scream.

-I am curious. When these weaklings receive my power, how far will they be able to crawl up? Yes, that is what I want to see! The first time I thought of this was because I remembered myself when I was young. Yes, I was young back then too. It was around the time I only had two teeth hanging from me...

Tooth Necklace began pouring out words again. Luciella glared at it for a while, then closed her eyes. That was why I had advised them from the beginning. Think from the treasure’s perspective.

If simple efficiency was all one considered, it would be better to scatter power among the top students. If one was worried they would all pass, then giving it to the middle-ranked students would have been enough.

But Tooth Necklace did not do that. It simply made its choices based on its own interests. It even chose those stuck at the bottom.

The students probably understood now. Treasures thought differently from us. Should I call it desire, or interest? They cared more about satisfying that sort of thing.

Individual force, will, talent, and so on could serve as references. But they could not become the reason for a choice.

What pleased a treasure was the most important thing. That would also be the motto of the lectures going forward.

I stepped slightly forward. Now that the class had ended, I needed to wrap it up.

“How was the first lecture, everyone? I think it was fairly fun. I believe you also understand how we will conduct our lectures from now on. You do not need to be too disappointed if you were not chosen. There are still plenty of treasures that want to meet you.”

As I said that, I briefly showed the message board on their mirrors. Some of the treasures lightly passed through it. At those words, the students began regaining their spirits little by little.

“Those chosen this time, please wait in the lecture hall for a moment. The rest of you are now free to use the tower. It will be opened up to the third floor, so you do not need to worry about training. It should be able to accommodate everyone.”

After that, I went over several more matters. Once all of that was finished, the students began leaving their seats one by one. Some left the tower and headed to the city, while others remained in the tower and began looking around inside.

I headed to Warehouse No. 2 with the puppets. It was the area where Tooth Necklace was kept. I opened the door and sent the puppets inside.

Tooth Necklace gave the puppets the tooth shards prepared in advance. The terrible magical power was enough to make the puppets stagger. The puppets placed them into the sealing boxes prepared beforehand and brought them outside the door.

I took them and headed to the lecture hall. Strong excitement began to show on the faces of those waiting there. I handed the sealing boxes to them. They carefully tucked them into their arms.

Someone even swapped out a tooth right there. It was Hao.

Hao checked the changed tooth and smiled brightly. A slightly refreshing scent drifted from Hao.

Like that, today’s lecture came to an end.

Most of the people settled on the second floor. The third floor was scheduled to open in about two days, and they said the first floor felt a bit uncomfortable because of those statues.

Although, if you kept watching them, there were some slightly cute parts too. That thought came to mind.

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